When legislators return to work at the Capitol this week, the question — as always — will be: Will they finally focus on issues that matter to people’s everyday lives? Polling and the results of recent ballot measures highlight the main concerns citizens wish legislators would deal with. Th ese include common-sense solutions to growing problems like affordability, crime and the massive increase in government fees. Citizens keep voting in favor of measures that increase public safety, and they continue to reject measures that broadly increase taxes or sidestep our Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR).  These are two main ideas that should guide legislators in the 2026 session: (1) prioritize safety and (2) stop increasing taxes and fees. Along with these two broad ideas, Advance Colorado is releasing a 2026 Legislative Policy Agenda just before the session begins. Colorado is a great state with great people, but we have to demand better policies from our elected officials. Our agenda features 10 priorities we believe capture citizens’ vital interests, fix several of Colorado’s most glaring problems, and provide popular, common-sense solutions to issues that keep working families up at night – including the reality that Colorado is currently the third most expensive state to live in and the second most dangerous in the nation.  First up: fixing fentanyl. This toxic poison is the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18-45. Under current Colorado law, a dealer can sell up to 50 grams of fentanyl — which contains nearly 25,000 lethal doses — and still not be sentenced to mandatory jail time. The huge majority of Coloradans believe fentanyl dealers should go to jail. And, they also want to see users receive compassionate treatment so they can overcome their addiction. If the legislature fails to finally crack down on fentanyl dealers once and for all, citizens will be able to vote on an Advance Colorado ballot measure — the first to be approved for the 2026 ballot.  Second: sanctuary state status. Colorado lags behind even California and New York, as the state fails to allow law enforcement to report even the most dangerous criminals here illegally to the Department of Homeland Security. In 2025, Gov. Polis signed a law that fines a police officer up to $50,000 if he or she proactively reports a violent offender or repeat felon to the federal government. Nearly every elected Democrat in Colorado claims to agree that it’s a no-brainer to deport dangerous criminals. Take, for example, Colorado’s 7th Congressional District U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, who said, “There isn’t a person who doesn’t support making sure there is a process in place to deport convicted violent criminals…” Citizens agree, and if the legislature doesn’t act to protect us from repeat felons, voters will get to approve a ballot measure so we can protect ourselves. Our legislative agenda includes other basic public safety ideas that most citizens would be surprised to find out the legislature still hasn’t solved. Despite Colorado’s high rate of retail theft, gift card theft, and auto theft, offenders remain eligible for probation. Even Attorney General Phil Weiser has theorized that action is really only necessary once an auto thief has stolen three or four cars. Mind-boggling as such a policy position is, state law reflects it. The city of Aurora experienced a significant decrease in retail theft and auto theft when it passed a law to require jail time for offenders. Now, though, the state Supreme Court has ruled that cities can’t punish offenders to a greater degree than the state does, so expect to see theft rates rise once again unless the state takes action.  Perhaps the most shocking crime topic of all is how Colorado deals with child predators. As District Attorney George Brauchler has written for The Denver Gazette, “In Colorado, a man who rapes a child – as long as it is just once – can get probation. … If that same man goes on to rape nine other children, as long as he only rapes them each once, that child rapist is also eligible for probation.” The legislature considered a bipartisan bill last year to fix this astounding loophole in state law, but the House Judiciary Committee rejected it. Some 85% of Coloradans agree that child predators should face mandatory jail, and it’s time the legislature sided with children over their attackers. Speaking of children, it’s essential that the legislature keep our state’s bipartisan record of promoting and protecting school choice. Attacks on charter schools are attacks on the families who’ve chosen to educate their children in a way that best serves them. Charter school waiting lists across the state demonstrate the popularity of education options, and these options go beyond charter schools and include magnet schools, open enrollment, homeschooling, private schools, and our local neighborhood schools as well. Each one is worth protecting. Good teachers make a vital difference in children’s lives, and we don’t pay them enough in Colorado. Even with the removal of the budget stabilization factor and the full funding of education the legislature recently approved, Colorado still lags behind the national average of money getting into the classroom. We spend 10% less on teachers, children, and instructional materials, awarding an elevated amount to administration. Administrative bloat is a real thing in Colorado schools, as school districts with declining enrollment still find a way to increase administration costs, leaving teachers to fend for themselves. Economic issues will be front and center this legislative session, as the state contends with a budget crisis of its own making. Years of fiscal mismanagement and committing money to unsustainable and unnecessary programs have added to the mess. Some on the far left want to solve the crisis by suing over TABOR, instituting a “progressive” income tax, or by repealing the TABOR limit by claiming the extra revenue will fund education. (When did we last hear that empty promise?) Voters are rightly suspicious of such schemes, understanding that the money they hand over to the state is never enough, according to the politicians who are always ready to ask for more. The Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights is a proper limitation on government spending and is always worth protecting. Fee reform is a vital issue the legislature could easily tackle. Unfortunately, however, many elected officials see “fees” as just another word for “taxes,” and they ignore the will of the people who’ve told them over and over that we want to vote on any increased revenue. Shockingly, Coloradans have seen a 3,400% increase in government fees over the last two decades. A ballot measure is currently pending at the State Supreme Court and, if passed in 2026, would create a better definition of fees, require voter approval for significant fees, and force the government to stop unfairly taxing people with end-runs around TABOR and Proposition 117. Wrapping up our list of 10 common-sense items is addressing Colorado’s mental health crisis. There are a number of solid, bipartisan actions that could be taken here, but the most glaring is the mental incompetency disaster that’s been all over the news. Right now, if a defendant is found to be permanently mentally incompetent, the court is required to dismiss charges – even if he committed a violent crime. Killers, kidnappers, and the like have had their charges dismissed in 2025, and it shouldn’t be allowed to happen again in 2026. The legislature can reform definitions, repeal the required dismissal, and require a civil commitment process for offenders who are incompetent but also a grave danger to the public.  As always, there are plenty more worthwhile fixes the legislature should make for the people of Colorado. But, if the legislature chooses to solve any of the 10 problems outlined in our policy agenda, the session will be a greater success than we’ve seen in years. If not – as always – we’ll be ready to go to the ballot and ask voters to protect themselves, their rights, and their communities once again. Thankfully, Colorado voters have the option to do what too many politicians won’t, and we are hopeful for the future and achieving what is best for the people who call our great state their home. Michael Fields is president of Advance Colorado. ...read more read less